MY ADVICE FOR MORNING WORKOUTS
The most frequently asked question I get in my DMs via IG Stories is how the hell I wake up for a 6am workouts, meaning waking up at 5:05am—yes, my alarm is set to 5:05, not 5:00am.
A few things to note so that we're all on the same page:
- I don't take 6am classes everyday. Sometimes I take 7am classes (like now, during this three week yoga challenge) or sometimes I don't work out at all and get my 7-8 hours of recommended sleep.
- I wasn't always a morning person. My high school days were spent perusing the web all night and barely waking up for school and sleeping in on the weekends until I was forced to wake up.
- Becoming a morning person didn't happen over night, but I will say that I appreciate my solitude in the mornings more than ever.
Now onto what you're really here for... why and how I wake up so early to work out. The short answer to that is I usually don't have time after work (bc life/events/friends) and even if I do, I'm usually tired by the end of the day... BUT I still want to get in a work out 4-5x a week.
Why:
- My health & fitness is high on my priority list, it hasn't always been this way, but right now it is. Not just for its physical benefits (bc I truly believe abs are made in the kitchen) but for my mental and emotional health as well. So with working out being v important to me, mornings are the only times of the day where I don't have a reason not to go—unless I choose sleep over exercise. And that decision is entirely on me with no one else to blame.
- Endorphins are a real thing. I always say this but it's true. There's nothing like getting in a good sweat session to start your day and to put you in a good mood.
How:
- I often get asked what time I go to bed (exciting things happening in my DMs, I know 😂). I think I sleep relatively early. I use the bedtime app on my iPhone and set a reminder at 10:30 to make sure I start to get ready for bed. So most nights I'm in bed by 11pm and play on my phone until I fall asleep (I know, it's bad, I'm trying to break this habit).
- I don't (or try not to) drink during the week. If I'm on a date then I'll usually keep it to one drink, but otherwise I skip alcohol Monday - Friday. Not that I'm a huge drinker to begin with, but with influencer events multiple nights a week, it's easy to rack up the cocktail count by the end of the week.
- I set one alarm for 5:05am and one alarm only. I chose 5:05 because I like the idea of getting those few extra minutes of sleep past 5am... It works for me—DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU. And when that alarm goes off, just get up—don't think twice about it. (I'll admit that the first few days, maybe weeks of waking up at 5—while it's still pitch black outside—was tough. But your body adjusts rather quickly and it becomes the matter of physically getting yourself out of bed. Take it one day at a time and remind yourself why you're doing this and who you're doing it for—you).
- I book classes through Class Pass, and if you miss a class you get hit with a $20 no-show fee, and if you cancel late (after 12-hour window) you get a $15 late cancel fee—all this to say, Class Pass keeps me accountable. (Here's $40 off your first month if you want to take classes with me)
- I'm also #blessed to live with a friend who also loves working out. We geek out over planning out workouts for the week and keep each other accountable to wake up in time for class #swolemates
At the end of the day, if getting in a work out is that important to you and you know you can't make it after school/work, you will get it done in the morning. It's all up to how much you want it—no one else can make the decision for you.
With so much in life that you can't change, do what you can change—and that's creating a better, healthier life for you :) Feel free to follow me on Instagram Stories where I document my workouts and (most) meals from my day-to-day.